Coronavirus, a threat or media hype?

[maxduck]

I hope that I am proven right and that I'm not wrong, but as of right now, while I respect the precaution, I think this is the biggest overreaction that I've seen.

Can you save lives by trying to curb large social events, sure, but the overall economic impact and widespread paranoia don't seem to fall in line with the actual impact of this virus. The mortality rate in those under 50 is like 0.3%. I don't want anyone to get sick or have illness but I'm not sure that the virus dictates the response.

The mortality for older folks is startling, but I am not sure the whole world should stop as opposed to trying to make sure those in higher risk demographics just being aware and taking precautions.

So how many dead older people is okay for just business as usual? This notion that "only" the elderly are dying so whatever approach is awfully telling. Btw, that is still a higher mortality rate than the flu too.

Well considering Italy doesn't even want to hospitalize the elderly, I don't think they care about the elderly. Because their notion is that they are dying anyway.

So the Italian mindset, it shouldn't matter and we should continue with sports because if the elderly get sick we will just let them die and not burden our system.

I think you may be mistaken there in terms of "want". My understanding is their ICU capacity has become overwhelmed and they are making treatment choices similar to deciding who gets in a limited number of lifeboats.

That is exactly what all the cancellations are trying to prevent happening in the United States.

[Tray Dub]

I hope that I am proven right and that I'm not wrong, but as of right now, while I respect the precaution, I think this is the biggest overreaction that I've seen.

Can you save lives by trying to curb large social events, sure, but the overall economic impact and widespread paranoia don't seem to fall in line with the actual impact of this virus. The mortality rate in those under 50 is like 0.3%. I don't want anyone to get sick or have illness but I'm not sure that the virus dictates the response.

The mortality for older folks is startling, but I am not sure the whole world should stop as opposed to trying to make sure those in higher risk demographics just being aware and taking precautions.

So how many dead older people is okay for just business as usual? This notion that "only" the elderly are dying so whatever approach is awfully telling. Btw, that is still a higher mortality rate than the flu too.

Well considering Italy doesn't even want to hospitalize the elderly, I don't think they care about the elderly. Because their notion is that they are dying anyway.

So the Italian mindset, it shouldn't matter and we should continue with sports because if the elderly get sick we will just let them die and not burden our system.

I think you may be mistaken there in terms of "want". My understanding is their ICU capacity has become overwhelmed and they are making treatment choices similar to deciding who gets in a limited number of lifeboats.

Again. Death rate for 10-50 is almost non-existent. So let's give those people beds, but not the elderly who need it. That makes no sense...

So you think you know how to handle the situation better than the Italian doctors on the frontlines. That they're just watching people die because they're too dumb to realize they need help. Okay.

The death rate for people in their 40s to 60s is not almost non-existent, and it would be much higher if severe cases weren't treated aggressively. Here's how one 48-year-old guy in Rhode Island described his experience with it:

He says the virus now hit him “like a hurricane.” He was weak and had trouble breathing. The hospital whisked him into the ICU, where nurses donned hazmat-style suits to enter his room.

They inserted a breathing tube, and put another tube down his throat for medicine to deal with pneumonia that developed in his lungs, he said.

Gagging and coughing, Mr. Thibault said he felt scared. His lungs would fill with saliva and nurses would dash in and clear them out, only to have to do it again two hours later.

“The feeling of choking. That was the worst part,” he said. “You feel like you’re asphyxiating, and you’re panicking because you can’t breathe.”

Their problem isn't stupidity, it's the pandemic that is overwhelming their hospitals.

[Tray Dub]

I hope that I am proven right and that I'm not wrong, but as of right now, while I respect the precaution, I think this is the biggest overreaction that I've seen.

Can you save lives by trying to curb large social events, sure, but the overall economic impact and widespread paranoia don't seem to fall in line with the actual impact of this virus. The mortality rate in those under 50 is like 0.3%. I don't want anyone to get sick or have illness but I'm not sure that the virus dictates the response.

The mortality for older folks is startling, but I am not sure the whole world should stop as opposed to trying to make sure those in higher risk demographics just being aware and taking precautions.

So how many dead older people is okay for just business as usual? This notion that "only" the elderly are dying so whatever approach is awfully telling. Btw, that is still a higher mortality rate than the flu too.

Again, do I like the mortality rate being around 20% for those 80+ no, that's a startling number. On the flip side, the mass hysteria when the mortality rate for those that are not 'elderly' rivals that of the yearly flu but with far fewer (for now) infected and it's just interesting the response. As a VERY cautious and over bearing parent, I can relate, but (my opinion) this just doesn't appear to be the outbreak that should cause the global and national pandemic that is instilling this incredibly rare caution.

It doesn't "rival" the flu, it is at least 10x more fatal than the yearly flu. And it is spreading much more quickly, doubling every few days.

[Duck07]

Keep in mind our numbers right now are low because we aren't testing that many people and have ignored requests to test for a while.

[UOducksTK1]

I hope that I am proven right and that I'm not wrong, but as of right now, while I respect the precaution, I think this is the biggest overreaction that I've seen.

Can you save lives by trying to curb large social events, sure, but the overall economic impact and widespread paranoia don't seem to fall in line with the actual impact of this virus. The mortality rate in those under 50 is like 0.3%. I don't want anyone to get sick or have illness but I'm not sure that the virus dictates the response.

The mortality for older folks is startling, but I am not sure the whole world should stop as opposed to trying to make sure those in higher risk demographics just being aware and taking precautions.

So how many dead older people is okay for just business as usual? This notion that "only" the elderly are dying so whatever approach is awfully telling. Btw, that is still a higher mortality rate than the flu too.

Again, do I like the mortality rate being around 20% for those 80+ no, that's a startling number. On the flip side, the mass hysteria when the mortality rate for those that are not 'elderly' rivals that of the yearly flu but with far fewer (for now) infected and it's just interesting the response. As a VERY cautious and over bearing parent, I can relate, but (my opinion) this just doesn't appear to be the outbreak that should cause the global and national pandemic that is instilling this incredibly rare caution.

It doesn't "rival" the flu, it is at least 10x more fatal than the yearly flu. And it is spreading much more quickly, doubling every few days.

Except for in China and Korea.

[UOducksTK1]

I hope that I am proven right and that I'm not wrong, but as of right now, while I respect the precaution, I think this is the biggest overreaction that I've seen.

Can you save lives by trying to curb large social events, sure, but the overall economic impact and widespread paranoia don't seem to fall in line with the actual impact of this virus. The mortality rate in those under 50 is like 0.3%. I don't want anyone to get sick or have illness but I'm not sure that the virus dictates the response.

The mortality for older folks is startling, but I am not sure the whole world should stop as opposed to trying to make sure those in higher risk demographics just being aware and taking precautions.

So how many dead older people is okay for just business as usual? This notion that "only" the elderly are dying so whatever approach is awfully telling. Btw, that is still a higher mortality rate than the flu too.

Well considering Italy doesn't even want to hospitalize the elderly, I don't think they care about the elderly. Because their notion is that they are dying anyway.

So the Italian mindset, it shouldn't matter and we should continue with sports because if the elderly get sick we will just let them die and not burden our system.

I think you may be mistaken there in terms of "want". My understanding is their ICU capacity has become overwhelmed and they are making treatment choices similar to deciding who gets in a limited number of lifeboats.

Again. Death rate for 10-50 is almost non-existent. So let's give those people beds, but not the elderly who need it. That makes no sense...

So you think you know how to handle the situation better than the Italian doctors on the frontlines. That they're just watching people die because they're too dumb to realize they need help. Okay.

The death rate for people in their 40s to 60s is not almost non-existent, and it would be much higher if severe cases weren't treated aggressively. Here's how one 48-year-old guy in Rhode Island described his experience with it:

He says the virus now hit him “like a hurricane.” He was weak and had trouble breathing. The hospital whisked him into the ICU, where nurses donned hazmat-style suits to enter his room.

They inserted a breathing tube, and put another tube down his throat for medicine to deal with pneumonia that developed in his lungs, he said.

Gagging and coughing, Mr. Thibault said he felt scared. His lungs would fill with saliva and nurses would dash in and clear them out, only to have to do it again two hours later.

“The feeling of choking. That was the worst part,” he said. “You feel like you’re asphyxiating, and you’re panicking because you can’t breathe.”

Their problem isn't stupidity, it's the pandemic that is overwhelming their hospitals.

Dude in that same article:

Roughly 80 per cent of COVID-19 cases tend to be mild or moderate

oh and...

Mr. Thibault has asthma

Great ICU takes the 20 per cent and we have no problems. There are VERY few extreme cases for anyone under 60 or without pre-existing health issues. We don't need to have a hospital problem.

Send young people to their homes, except for the extreme cases. Help the old people, simple. Have our media instead of being stupid, telling elderly to stay home (and anyone else that lives in houses with elderly).

[UOducksTK1]

Anyway agree to disagree, but things are being handled poorly. And true facts are not be explained or shared as well as they should. It's a shame. Shame on the media too.

[Duck07]

Except for in China and Korea.

We don't really know the true extent in China and each country used Draconian measures that are not allowed in the US under our laws. We're at the point of asking people to "self-apply" these measures so that it doesn't spread the way it potentially could. We know enough to be rightly scared into doing these things (and should have known better at least a week or two ago).

[UOducksTK1]

Except for in China and Korea.

We don't really know the true extent in China and each country used Draconian measures that are not allowed in the US under our laws. We're at the point of asking people to "self-apply" these measures so that it doesn't spread the way it potentially could. We know enough to be rightly scared into doing these things (and should have known better at least a week or two ago).

For sure, I imagine it'll be a little worse here.

[Tray Dub]

Great ICU takes the 20 per cent and we have no problems. There are VERY few extreme cases for anyone under 60 or without pre-existing health issues. We don't need to have a hospital problem.

Send young people to their homes, except for the extreme cases. Help the old people, simple. Have our media instead of being stupid, telling elderly to stay home (and anyone else that lives in houses with elderly).

20% is a massive number for a disease spreading like wildfire. It's just incredibly arrogant to think that hospitals would have a nice and easy time if only they'd follow your advice.

[UOducksTK1]

Great ICU takes the 20 per cent and we have no problems. There are VERY few extreme cases for anyone under 60 or without pre-existing health issues. We don't need to have a hospital problem.

Send young people to their homes, except for the extreme cases. Help the old people, simple. Have our media instead of being stupid, telling elderly to stay home (and anyone else that lives in houses with elderly).

20% is a massive number for a disease spreading like wildfire. It's just incredibly arrogant to think that hospitals would have a nice and easy time if only they'd follow your advice.

That's about 3,000 people since January 31st. Definitely a problem, but not as bad as 100%, which seems to be the narrative...

[GrandpaDuck]

Except for in China and Korea.

We don't really know the true extent in China and each country used Draconian measures that are not allowed in the US under our laws. We're at the point of asking people to "self-apply" these measures so that it doesn't spread the way it potentially could. We know enough to be rightly scared into doing these things (and should have known better at least a week or two ago).

Korea is using hi-tech tracking and surveillance that puts the NSA to shame. Korea also has virtually universal health insurance and people there go to the Doctor on a whim and they have the medical infrastructure to accommodate that. They have a younger population to boot.

In China the Hubei province (where Wuhan is) basically under house arrest with soldiers patrolling the streets and food being delivered by the government. You also cant believe the government data coming out of China. We have a quasi-family member in Hubie where we get daily, carefully worded, updates though there is little new news as they are basically locked up.

It does no good to try to compare the results in Korea or China to what will happen here as we don't have the capacity or will to duplicate their approaches.

[pezsez1]

Coronavirus worldwide: 134,183 cases 4,965 deaths
Flu worldwide: Estimated 1 billion cases 646,000 deaths

In Italy, as many people are now dying per day from COVID-19 as are dying here each day from the flu -- roughly 180 deaths/day.

Again, people, THIS. IS. SERIOUS.

This isn't the media running wild or a vast political conspiracy. This is a real pandemic -- hopefully the only one of this magnitude in our lifetimes -- and it's barely begun here in the USA. Why do so many people die from the flu despite its super-low mortality rate? Because nobody cares about spreading it around... because it has a super-low mortality rate.

COVID-19 is much more dangerous. As others here have correctly stated, anything we can do to practice social distancing will help save lives. Seriously, you know we're an overly privileged and entitled culture when people complain about not being able to go to Disneyland and basketball games during the midst of a deadly global pandemic. I feel bad for parents who can't afford to have their kids in daycare in places where schools have closed, but dang... get a grip, people! Reality needs all hands on deck.

[AutzenMember]

I wonder what research into CBD is being done, as it has been proven to combat viruses. Or, is the government protecting the pharma industry to allow them to come up with a solution (with many side effects). I also wonder of those testing positive, were any of them CBD users? That could be a quick way to see if there is potential, perhaps. Just thinking out loud.

[UOducksTK1]

Coronavirus worldwide: 134,183 cases 4,965 deaths
Flu worldwide: Estimated 1 billion cases 646,000 deaths

In Italy, as many people are now dying per day from COVID-19 as are dying here each day from the flu -- roughly 180 deaths/day.

Again, people, THIS. IS. SERIOUS.

This isn't the media running wild or a vast political conspiracy. This is a real pandemic -- hopefully the only one of this magnitude in our lifetimes -- and it's barely begun here in the USA. Why do so many people die from the flu despite its super-low mortality rate? Because nobody cares about spreading it around... because it has a super-low mortality rate.

COVID-19 is much more dangerous. As others here have correctly stated, anything we can do to practice social distancing will help save lives. Seriously, you know we're an overly privileged and entitled culture when people complain about not being able to go to Disneyland and basketball games during the midst of a deadly global pandemic. I feel bad for parents who can't afford to have their kids in daycare in places where schools have closed, but dang... get a grip, people! Reality needs all hands on deck.

Average age of death in Italy is 81. Most people are fine...